EDI 943 Warehouse Stock Transfer Shipment Advice

The EDI 943 is the inbound half of 3PL EDI. The 940 and 945 move orders out of the warehouse. The 943 and its answer, the 944 receipt advice, move your inventory in. When a trailer leaves your plant, a co-packer or another warehouse bound for your 3PL, the 943 tells the receiving dock what to expect, so the receipt can be checked against it line by line.

This guide covers what the 943 carries, who sends it and when, every segment you will map, a live example, how it differs from the 856 ASN, and the errors that turn a simple receipt into a week of emails.

What Is an EDI 943?

An EDI 943 is the Warehouse Stock Transfer Shipment Advice transaction set defined by the ASC X12 standards body. The depositor (the company that owns the inventory) sends it to a warehouse to advise that a transfer shipment has been made, with detail on the products shipped to that location. In the X12 envelope it travels in a functional group with the code AR in GS01.

"Stock transfer" is the key phrase. The goods are not being sold to the warehouse. Ownership stays with the depositor; only custody moves. That is why the 943 has no prices, no terms and no invoice reference. It is a list of what is on the truck.

Authoritative references for 943 work:

• The X12 transaction set catalog defines the 943 and the rest of the warehouse series (940, 943, 944, 945, 947)
• GS1 US governs the UPC case codes and GTINs that identify each item on a 943 line
• Each 3PL publishes its own 943 implementation guide, which sets which segments it requires, which item identifiers it matches on, and whether lot numbers are mandatory

Who sends it? The depositor: a brand, manufacturer, importer or distributor, usually from its ERP when a transfer order ships. Sometimes a co-packer or a freight forwarder sends it on the depositor's behalf.

Who receives it? The warehouse, usually a 3PL or public warehouse, into its warehouse management system (WMS).

When is it sent? When the shipment leaves the origin, and in any case before it reaches the receiving dock.

Why does it matter? A warehouse that receives a trailer with no 943 has to count everything blind, key in the items, and guess at lots and expected quantities. That is slower, and it is where receiving errors and "unknown item" holds come from. With a 943 on file, the dock scans against an expected receipt and only investigates the differences.

How the 943 and 944 Work Together

The 943 is an advance notice. The 944 is the confirmation. Together they close the inbound loop the same way the 940 and 945 close the outbound one.

1. Transfer ships. Your plant, supplier or another warehouse loads a trailer bound for the 3PL. Your ERP records a transfer order.
2. 943 sent. Your system sends a 943 listing the shipment ID, carrier, expected delivery date and every item, quantity and lot on the trailer.
3. Warehouse prepares. The 3PL's WMS creates an expected receipt (often called an ASN or receiving order) from the 943, and schedules a dock appointment.
4. Trailer arrives. The dock scans pallets and cases against the expected receipt. Matches post automatically; differences are flagged.
5. 944 returned. The warehouse sends a 944 Warehouse Stock Transfer Receipt Advice with what actually arrived, including any short, over or damaged quantities.
6. Inventory available. Your ERP moves the stock from in-transit to available at that warehouse, and your 846 inventory feed from the 3PL starts to include it.

If anything changes after receipt (damage found during putaway, a lot put on hold, a cycle count correction), the warehouse reports it on a 947 Warehouse Inventory Adjustment Advice.

Interactive Example: Plant-to-3PL Stock Transfer (943)

A food brand ships a trailer from its Boise plant to its 3PL in Reno. The W06 header carries the brand's transfer number TR-260412, the ship date and the shipment ID. Three N1 loops name the depositor, the ship-from plant and the receiving warehouse. N9*BM gives the bill of lading, G62*17 the estimated delivery date, and W27 the carrier's SCAC. Each W04 line carries the case quantity, UPC case code and item number, with the product description in G69 and the lot in N9*LT. W03 totals 108 cases and 2,064 pounds.

Use the Plain English tab for a readable summary, or click any segment to break it down element by element.

Two days later, the warehouse answers this 943 with a 944 reporting 106 of the 108 cases received. You can see that receipt in the 944 guide.

943 Structure at a Glance

As with every warehouse set, the 3PL's guide decides which optional segments it actually needs. Many make the lot N9 mandatory for food, pharma and other lot-controlled goods.

Key Segments Explained

W06: Warehouse Shipment Identification

W06*F*TR-260412*20261102*SHP-88412~

The W06 segment is shared with the 945 Warehouse Shipping Advice, where it identifies an outbound shipment instead.

N1 Loop: The Parties

N1*DE*NORTHFIELD PANTRY CO~
N1*SF*NORTHFIELD PANTRY PLANT 1~
N3*4100 MILLRACE RD~
N4*BOISE*ID*83716*US~
N1*WH*RIDGELINE LOGISTICS RENO*91*RNO2~

The 943 usually names three parties: the depositor (DE, or MF for manufacturer in some guides), the ship-from location (SF), and the receiving warehouse (WH). The warehouse code in N104 matters most. Many 3PLs run several buildings under one EDI ID and route the 943 to the right dock by that code. A wrong or missing warehouse code is one of the most common reasons a 943 is rejected.

W27: Carrier Detail

W27*M*SRLX~

W2701 is the transportation method (M for motor common carrier, R rail, H customer pickup and so on) and W2702 the carrier's Standard Carrier Alpha Code (SCAC). The dock uses the SCAC to match the 943 to the trailer when the driver checks in. Routing text and payment method can follow in W2703 and W2704 where the guide asks for them.

W04: Item Detail Total

W04*48*CA*086123450014*VN*NFP-GRN-12~

Every line needs at least one identifier: the UPC case code, an item number, or both. Most 3PLs match on whichever one they loaded into the WMS item master, so send the identifier they asked for, not just the one your ERP prefers.

N9 at Line Level: Lots and Packages

N9*LT*L2610A~

Lot-controlled goods need the lot on every line. N9*LT is the usual way to send it. If one item ships in two lots, send two W04 lines, one per lot, rather than one line with two lot references. Pallet IDs (QQ), case numbers (97) and serial numbers (SE) also travel in line-level N9 segments when a guide wants them.

W03: Total Shipment Information

W03*108*2064*LB~

W0301 is the total units shipped, which should equal the sum of the W0401 quantities. W0302 and W0303 give the total weight and its unit. Some guides add total volume in W0304 and W0305.

EDI 943 vs 856, 940 and 944

The 943 is often confused with the 856 ASN, because both describe a shipment before it arrives.

The short version: the 856 describes a sale in transit, the 943 describes a transfer in transit. Some 3PLs accept an 856 from your suppliers in place of a 943, especially when a supplier ships directly to the 3PL against your PO. Check the 3PL's guide before you ask a supplier to build anything new.

Where the 943 Sits in 3PL EDI

A full 3PL relationship usually runs these documents:

For the wider picture of setting up these flows with a 3PL, see our guide to 3PL EDI integration.

Common 943 Errors and How to Prevent Them

943 Implementation Checklist

• Get the 3PL's 943 guide and its list of building or warehouse codes
• Confirm the item identifier it matches on (UPC case code, GTIN, your item number) and load your items into its WMS first
• Confirm unit of measure per item and whether lots, expiry dates or serial numbers are required
• Decide what triggers the 943 in your ERP (transfer ship confirmation is the usual choice)
• Map W0602 to a transfer number your ERP can find again when the 944 arrives
• Agree how suppliers or co-packers shipping straight to the 3PL will notify it (their own 943 on your behalf, an 856, or a 943 from you)
• Test a full receipt, a short receipt and a multi-lot receipt end to end with the matching 944s
• Watch 997s for structural rejections in the first weeks

If you are new to EDI document numbers in general, our EDI document types reference lists the full set and how they relate.

Handling 3PL and Order Data With OrderSync

Inbound transfers are usually the tidy part of 3PL EDI. The messy part is upstream: customer orders that arrive as EDI 850s, PDFs, emails and spreadsheets and have to be keyed into the ERP before anything can ship from the 3PL.

OrderSync reads those orders in any format, matches customers, items and units to your catalog, and outputs clean data to your ERP or valid X12, so the orders that drive your 940s start out right. Paste any 943 into the free EDI inspector to see it parsed segment by segment with a plain-English summary, read about EDI for food distributors, or book a 15-minute walkthrough to see your own orders processed.

Frequently Asked Questions